If you're a gadget geek with some spare change--make that a lot of spare change--here's a golden opportunity to indulge. Later this month the first Apple computer--including a letter signed by none other than Apple co-founder CEO Steve Jobs to the original owner--will go on sale at a famous London auction house.

The Christie's brochure describes the computer as a "historic relic," and judging by current technological standards, I suppose that's an accurate description. Just in case you can't remember, the Apple-1, introduced in 1976, came without a casing, power supply, keyboard, or monitor. Still, it was enough to turn Apple into a household name as it also was the first personal computer sold with a fully assembled motherboard. Back during those rollicking days of the early personal computer era, most personal computers got sold as self-assembly kits. Based on the standards of that era, this was consumer-friendliness with an underscore.

Jobs and his co-founder, Steve Wozniak, priced the first Apple-1 computers at $666.66. The machines were shipped to customers from Jobs' parents' house. Christie's says that all of the components are still in their original box. The machine will get put on the auction block November 23. Bidding is set to begin at $161,600.

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Charles Cooper was an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet.
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